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Sandro Tonali will reportedly have £11million of his pay suspended at Newcastle United as he gets ready to serve a 10-month ban for betting breaches.
Tonali, 23, joined Newcastle from AC Milan in a £55million deal in the summer, but his Magpies career is about to be halted as he serves a suspension for betting breaches during his time at Milan and Brescia – leaving him unavailable until the beginning of next season.
The Italian midfielder played his last game of the season on Wednesday night in the Magpies’ 1-0 Champions League defeat against Borussia Dortmund. But despite his ban, he will still be able to train with Eddie Howe’s side.
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Tonali’s ban is set to be announced today (Thursday) by the Turin prosecutor’s office which has seen a week-long bargain plea from the player, who admitted the offences and having a gambling problem. He initially faced a four-year ban, which has been reduced because of his testimony, agreement to therapy and to attend meetings with local associations and youth teams in Italy.
The ban was originally halved because of Tonali’s cooperation, later dropped to 18 months due to evidence given, and now at 10 months plus a further eight months of reportedly alternative sentences. And the financial damage to Tonali, who's believed to be on wages worth close to £140,000-a-week, is set to be a significant part of the punishment too, the Mirror report.
Claims from Italy suggest his salary will be suspended, seeing the midfielder miss out on his £11m pay packet for the course of his ban. However, for the club, it could free up funds to bring in a January replacement into an already stretched squad.
Newcastle are yet to comment on whether they will take legal action regarding the transfer fee paid for Tonali after buying a player with historical problems that may have been unbeknown to the club, or whether they will still pay the transfer instalments to Milan as previously agreed.
- Newcastle United FC
- Premier League
- AC Milan FC
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